Escapee search temporarily locks down San Gabriel High School

SAN GABRIEL, Calif. (KABC) -- San Gabriel High School was temporarily placed on lockdown on Tuesday as police searched for "an armed and dangerous escapee." He was eventually found on school grounds.

The escapee, identified as Benedict Romero by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), was located and apprehended around 1 p.m., approximately an hour and a half after the school was placed on lockdown.

Romero was found on an athletic field at San Gabriel High School, Alhambra police said. The lockdown was lifted after Romero's apprehension. No one was injured, police said.

Romero walked away from a residential home in the Alternative Custody Program (ACP) in El Monte on Tuesday, CDCR officials said in a news release.

The 39-year-old took off after tampering with his ankle monitor, and authorities noticed he was gone at around 9:35 a.m. CDCR officials said Romero had been participating in ACP since January.

San Gabriel city officials posted on Twitter earlier that the school was not directly related to the search, though they advised people to avoid the area.

Police activity near San Gabriel High and surrounding area. School on lockdown but not directly related.Avoid the area, updates to follow.